


The Lament of Twoey the Astro Droid

by apocalypse_suite



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood Trauma, Droids, F/M, Family, Force Choking, Hurt/Comfort, Inappropriate Use of the Force, Jedi Training, Knights of Ren - Freeform, Kylo Ren is a Manipulative Bitch, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Multi, Other, Pre-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Unhealthy Relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-15
Updated: 2019-01-04
Packaged: 2019-09-19 10:46:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,404
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17000121
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/apocalypse_suite/pseuds/apocalypse_suite
Summary: Three young Jedi managed to escape that fateful night at the temple, flung across the galaxy and swearing vengeance against Kylo Ren for destroying their lives.Knoll, Ezara and Mia are forced to confront their past and the demons that still haunt them years later, whilst also realising their own power and potential as force users.





	1. You're My Only Hope

  _Explosions. Fire. People running. Someone tugging on her arm harshly, urging her to keep moving. A yelling in her ear, a boy’s voice screaming to-_

“Wake up!”

Mia jumped awake, sharply drawing in a breath. Immediately the floating objects surrounding her clattered to the floor, causing her to groan and thunk her head back into the warmth of her bed. A gangly figure was looming above her, reminding her of the dream she had been having. Not a dream, more of a memory. Knoll looked almost monochrome in his sand coloured robes and light brown hair, ever dressing like the Jedi he like to think of himself as.

“Was I levitating things?” she cracked open one eye to look at the older man. He shrugged, handing her a metal cup of water.

“Yeah,” he sighed, “But I wouldn’t worry too much. Ezara bolted most things down after the incident with the water distiller.”

As Mia wordlessly sipped the drink Knoll continued to hover next to her. She raised her eyebrows at him.

“Did you want something?”

“Look I know things have been tense lately, but you know he didn’t-“

“He has no right!” Mia cut him off, “We made those rules for a reason and he broke them!”

The water splashed out the cup as she spoke, soaking into her covers. She swore as she tried to mop it up with the fabric of her top.

“I know, okay, and I’m as angry as you are, believe me,” Knoll said, voice deliberately even, “Kriff, can’t we just go back to how things were two weeks ago? He promised not to do it again and I think he really means it.”

Mia sat up properly, running a hand through her hair and huffing when it got caught on the tugs, “Not until he’s said he’s sorry.”

Knoll rolled his eyes at her pettiness.

“Ezara!” he called over his shoulder nonetheless, his voice bordering on bored over stern, “Come and apologise to Mia.”

There was a moments silence before Ezara swept through the opening, his black cloak swishing behind him. His eyes were narrowed as he looked over the two of them, lips pursed in stubborn defiance.

“I’ve already admitted what I did broke the rules,” he said. As Mia’s hand shot out he immediately let out a yelp and ducked, a stool force-flying at his head and breaking as it hit the wall. “No deliberate levitation outside practicing!”

“No mind reading outside practicing!” Mia shrieked in response, scrambling out her bed and throwing her now empty cup at him.

“Hey, hey, hey,” Knoll shouted, getting between them and putting his hands up, “Okay, each of you has broken a rule now. Next, I break a rule and then we’re all even, how does that sound? Then we all have a clean slate.”

Both young people paused to think over the offer. Mia shrugged like she didn’t care in the first place, “Fine.”

“What rule?” Ezara’s arms were down now he was sure he wouldn’t be attacked again, his eyes back to being narrowed in suspicion.

“Well there’s only one rule left so I guess that one,” Knoll said sounding weary.

“We agreed not to do that one in case it showed something we didn’t want to see!” Ezara hissed. All his suspicion had gone, replaced with a tinge of fear now.

“Come on, chances are it’ll be something dumb like eating some bread next week.”

Mia’s eyes were shining with thinly veiled excitement, “What if you see something big though?”

“Both of you shut up for a minute,” Knoll crouched awkwardly, his limbs folding themselves until he was in the meditation position, knees on the dusty earth floor.

“Do you see anything-“

“Ssh!”

All force users in the room could feel the energy in the room shift. The atmosphere had been light and slightly disrupted before, but now it was humming with something unspoken, a feeling of dread and change that none of them could properly place. A deep frown appeared on Knoll’s face and Mia crossed her arms hurriedly, subconsciously protecting herself. Her eyes went to Ezara, who also looked worried, his wide eyes matching her own. Despite his thick black robes, he shivered, long dark hair swishing as he did so.

Knoll’s eyes shot open abruptly and he glanced about, as if making sure the two of them were still there. He took an audible breath that rattled in his chest.

“What did you see?” Mia asked in a small voice.

Knoll’s gaze lingered on her, intense in a way she had only seen a few times before, then a grin split his face, “It’s not bread. It’s some watery cold soup.”

The two breathed a sigh of relief as Knoll hauled himself up, joints cracking as he did so.

“I’m going to check on the crops filtration,” he breezed out the door, “Try not to kill each other while I’m gone.”

“I won’t need to if he doesn’t break any more rules,” Mia said pointedly, pulling a loose shirt over the clothes she had been sleeping in, “Stay out my head.”

Ezara scoffed and leaned against the table, “We should be pushing ourselves more. If someone tries to read your mind it’s not going to be when you’re prepared for it.”

Mia tutted as she began to fold her blanket neatly, “We’ve been here so long. I doubt anyone’s still out there.”

“It won’t hurt to be ready!”

“Ready for what, Ezara? Nothings coming.”

Outside in the foggy morning of Lah’mu Knoll threw open the door to what has been their home for the last five years. He used the wall as support as he took gulping breaths, trying to calm himself before the others could sense his panic. He pressed the heels of his palms into his eyes, scrubbing them. Something was coming. Something big. And Knoll didn’t know if they could handle it.

A blue glow to his left caused him to look up, he tutted when he saw what it was. Or rather who.

“You’ve seen it coming then?” Obi-Wan’s voice was level as always, a slight hint of amusement in his tone. Knoll sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“Obviously.”

“And?” the older jedi prompted. Knoll threw his hands up with a shake of his head, letting out a mixture between a sob and a laugh.

“And what? All the time we’ve spent hiding, training each other the best we could, all of it was for nothing!”

Obi-Wan frowned, tilting his head, “What exactly did you see?”

“Flashes, I don’t know, we were on a ship that belonged to the First Order,” Knoll sighed again, “He was there.”

“And you think that means a terrible fate for you all?” His condescending voice irked Knoll, but what he was suggesting made him reconsider.

“You’re saying that this is a good thing? That this is the opportunity we’ve been waiting for to strike at Ren?”

Obi-Wan shrugged unhelpfully, “The force doesn’t hand you things on a plate. It’s merely a tool for you to use.”

“You’re a tool,” Knoll muttered.

“Like it or not, Amira and Ezara deserve to know what you saw. You’re stronger as a unit, only if you work together can you hope to achieve your goals.”

“I know, I know, it’s just…” Knoll’s voice went quiet, “We don’t even have lightsabers.”

Obi-Wan chuckled, “Lightsabers were first documented being used in the Great Scourge of Malachor, many years before the Republic was even being formed. Yes, building a lightsaber was once considered a vital part in padawan training, but a force user need not rely on one. To truly master the force is to have confidence in ones own abilities.”

“We’ve done nothing but practice using the force for the last five years. Maybe the others are eager to experience real combat, but I don’t want to fight anyone.”

“You might not have a choice, young Knoll.”

With those words Obi-Wan Kenobi vanished, leaving Knoll alone again with his thoughts. As the oldest of the three he had worked his ass off to keep them safe, out of sight and hopefully out of mind of Ben Solo. He himself wasn’t much older than the boy who had betrayed them all so many years ago, and he had never really paid him any mind during their training time together. As the oldest he had also received more training and had subsequently tried to share that knowledge with the others over the years. It was hard to teach people when he needed teaching himself, so when Obi-Wan had showed up one day during his meditation it had been a relief and a blessing. He had helped guide Knoll with his wisdom, though he was unable to properly train him for obvious reasons. Usually he just showed up to dish out cryptic nonsense at various occasions.

Knoll’s vision had rocked his whole world. He had a sense that what he had saw was imminent in the near future, and his gut told him they should begin to prepare for it now. Heading back inside the small building, he could hear Ezara and Mia’s squabbling over the low hum of their generator. Ezara had been seventeen when they were forced to run from Ren, and Mia had only been thirteen at the time. They had spent their formative years together, isolated from other people for the most part, so the two of them were what could only be described as bratty. If he wasn’t there to act as mediator the two of them would often begin arguments over the smallest things. Despite this there was an unspoken affection between them, one that they all shared. Even though all three of them were force sensitive Knoll couldn’t shake the feeling that the other two experienced it in a different way to him. For a long time he had suspected Ezara was a little too eager to plunge himself headfirst into the force, Knoll was worried that one day they might lose him completely to it. Ezara had sworn vengeance against Kylo Ren ever since the events at the temple, and this need for revenge fuelled the way he channelled and interacted with the force. Mia was the complete opposite to him. She was too young at the time of them leaving to fully grasp what was happening, and as a result didn’t see the value in staying hidden on Lah’mu. She had grown from a child to a young woman trapped on the murky planet, in their small dwelling and recently she had been showing an urge to stretch her legs, feeling like she had barely scratched the surface of her force wielding abilities. Mia also had an air of creepiness about her sometimes, Knoll could often at times feel the force flowing through her in a way he had never experienced before. When she was lost in mediation she would often raise herself a few inches off the floor without even realising what she was doing, having an uncanny connection to the force. A fact that she was very aware of and used it to bother Ezara to no end. Despite being younger, she was able to master things in days that took him months of meditation on to even come close to.

The two of them were currently fighting about their droid. The one that had been broken for the last year and none of them had got around to repairing.

“If you’re so good with the force, why can’t you do it?” Ezara said, his dark eyes icy. Mia threw the tool at him, which he caught with little effort.

“You can’t just use the force for mundane tasks. Besides, you were the one bragging the other day about how you could fix anything. Why not prove it by fixing Twoey,” Mia spat back.

R6-B2 was the name of their shitty astro droid. Affectionately called “Twoey” it was supposed to repair their broken systems so they could focus on their training, but the droid had ironically broken down itself just as their water system had been destroyed by one of Mia’s force ‘accidents’.

“Says you,” Ezara scoffed, “I saw you use it to grab a glass you were too lazy to stand and pick up.”

“Guys,” Knoll’s voice caused them to whip round, his unusually sombre demeanour automatically telling them that something was wrong. Ezara’s brows shot up almost comically.

“What is it?”

“My vision wasn’t about soup.”

Knoll explained what he had seen and watched their demeanour rapidly change. Mia aboard a First Order vessel, her hand outstretched in front of her. A blaster was held loosely by her side and she stood next to a well dressed, sallow skinned man he didn’t recognise. He had seen Ezara pointing a weapon at Ren. Despite it being years, the sight of the younger man still sent chills down Knoll’s spine.

Ezara couldn’t help the breathless grin he had when he thought about what Knoll had told them. This was finally his chance to get revenge for his brother’s death, what Knoll had seen was undeniable proof that. Joi had only been fifteen when Solo had went rouge and slaughtered almost everyone in the temple. It had been Ezara’s duty to protect his younger brother, first and foremost, and he wouldn’t fail now where he had failed all those years ago. In his determination he stalked back to his small room, snatching up a blaster and aiming it at the wall. He calmed himself, taking a slow breath, before focusing and firing three rapid shots, each of them hitting the same spot and leaving only a single scorched mark.

“Wow, Ben Solo doesn’t stand a chance,” Mia’s sarcastic tone caused the smile to drop from his face, “It’s not like he’s been training with a lightsaber all these years.”

Ezara threw down the blaster, “He won’t see us coming. I’ll surprise him.”

Mia shrugged, enraging him further.

“You know what he took from me!” his voice was raised now, “You just don’t want to kill him because you had some childish crush on him back in the day!”

She flinched at the mention, averting her eyes. Ezara was immediately filled with regret.

“Mia I’m sorry you know I didn’t mean-“

“You think I don’t know what he’s done?” she took a step forward, her hurt bleeding into anger, “I think about the people we lost every single day. Not only that, but Ben messed with what should have been my life, my future. For the first time in my life I felt like I was a part of something, like I belonged. He ripped that away from me.”

Ezara took a step forward, closing the distance between them. Mia was slightly shorter than him and he had to look down to meet her eyes.

“I know I didn’t lose my brother, and I can’t imagine the hatred you feel for Ren,” Her voice wavered slightly, but she continued, “But when we get the chance, you won’t be the only one in line to rip his head from his shoulders.”

“Mia,” he placed a hand on her shoulder, using it to bring her into a tight hug, “We’ll destroy him. Together.”

Neither of them noticed Knoll lingering just out of sight behind the door. The older boy rubbed his chin anxiously, he knew what Solo was capable of and he also knew how little training either of them had, especially compared to him. Both he and Ezara’s lightsabers had been lost in the wreckage of the temple, and Mia hadn’t even had a chance to finish building her own one. She still had the Kyber crystal on a chain around her neck, but as far as weapons went all they had between them was four not-so reliable blasters. Knoll hesitated a moment longer before rounding the doorway.

“If we’re going to do this we need a plan,” he said, not leaving any room for argument, “It could be anything from five years away to tomorrow. Something tells me it’s going to be soon though.”

“It would also help to find out who that guy was. The one you saw with me,” Mia suggested, “Maybe he helps us.”

“Yeah he looked like a diplomat maybe? Some sort of ambassador.”

“We also need to start training,” Ezara’s gaze was steely, “Harder than we’ve ever trained before.”

“I agree,” Knoll nodded, “No more slacking off.”

“Is this really happening?” Mia’s voice was small, showing how scared she actually was, “Are we really going to face him alone?”

“We’re not alone,” Ezara said, “We have the force.”


	2. Childhood Trauma Oops

**Five years ago**

Knoll was dragged abruptly from his sleep by a distant yelling and the acrid smell of smoke hitting his lungs. He coughed a few times, trying to clear his throat but the air was so thick with it his coughs did very little. All around was an inferno and he leapt from his small cot, immediately taking note of his surroundings as he raced out the hallway. Eyes smarting, he braced himself against the heat of the flames and ran down the narrow corridor to the other rooms. Many of the doors were blown open, the rooms disturbingly empty. He shook his head, wondering what had happened to cause this inferno, finally reaching the last door and slamming his body against it. Inside, a small figure was curled up in a blanket. The smoke hadn’t properly filled the room yet, he could clearly see a partially assembled lightsaber on the nightstand, the Kyber crystal resting lovingly beside it. Knoll shook the figure violently, praying that whoever was asleep hadn’t already perished from inhaling too much smoke. The dark-haired girl stirred then bolted up as soon as she became aware of her surroundings.

“Mia, we have to go,” he tried his best to stay calm in front of the young girl, but he couldn’t help the twinge of panic that bled through. He tugged harshly on her arm. “Now!”

She nodded, eyes wide, but stopped to snatch up the crystal quickly. The two of them hurried out the door, Knoll’s grip tight on her hand to stop them getting separated. Visibility was low due to the smoke and they nearly crashed head first into a frantic figure as they rounded a corner.

“Joi!” Ezara shouted, his voice hoarse, “Knoll, I can’t find Joi, he wasn’t in his room!”

“We have to get out of here,” Knoll replied, grabbing his arm and giving him a small shake, “he’s smart, I’m sure he got out as soon as the fire started.”

With one wild look around Ezara nodded, allowing himself to be pulled by Knoll. The three of them finally made it out a side entrance, coughing violently as they breathed in lungful’s of the clean air. Their relief was short lived as Mia grabbed the fabric of Knoll’s shirt, pointing at a figure. Ben Solo was illuminated by the glow of his lightsaber, his skin smudged with soot and smoke. The most horrifying thing was the pile of bodies in front of him, ranging from smaller than Mia to the same age as Solo. Knoll moved in front of the two teens, blocking them from the sight of their slaughtered peers.

“Joi!” Ezara roared, scrambling to get to where the bodies were. Knoll grabbed him round the waist, hauling him back. The scuffle caused Ben to look up, locking eyes with Mia.

“Come with me, Mia,” his voice was soft, a juxtaposition of the violence and chaos around him. The roof of what had been their home was now crumbling, crashing in on itself. “You can learn so much more than Skywalker could ever teach you.”

“You’re a murderer!” Ezara snarled, tears pouring from his eyes.

“All of you are capable of so much more,” Ben called, “All of this…”

He gestured to the ruins of what was once their temple.

“All of this was holding you back. Come with me and you can be free.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Knoll said in a low voice, mainly to Mia. He didn’t think Ezara was any mood to go with the man who had slaughtered his brother.

“The shuttle,” Mia said softly, barely audible over Ezara’s nonsensical yelling and the roaring of the fire, “We have to be quick.”

“Or what?” Knoll pulled himself to his feet, dragging Ezara up as he did so, “You’ll kill us like you killed our friends?”

Mia darted, faster than he had ever seen her, not towards the shuttle, but towards Ben. For a moment Knoll assumed the worst, his words had got to her and she was lost, but she screeched to a halt and raised her arms above her head. Her eyes were closed and her teeth were gritted in concentration, a support pillar to her right began to creak, the stone cracking in places. Even Ben Solo looked surprised to see the pillar begin to slowly topple.

“Mia come on!” Knoll yelled. The girl stayed where she was, focus entirely on moving the force. The pillar would be in complete freefall if it wasn’t being supported by her, fingers and arms shaking with the effort.

“Let it go Mia,” Knoll pleaded. That seemed to snap Mia out her trance and she let it drop with a sigh of relief. She opened her eyes in time to meet Ben’s hurt ones before the stone crashed down, a small shockwave causing Mia to stumble back. She spun and ran back to them, this time being the one to tug on Knoll. The three of them hurried to the small shuttle just beside the treeline. The droid attached beeped awake as they stumbled in, Ezara barely supporting his own weight. Knoll sat him on the ground, scrambling into the cockpit and initiating the take-off sequence.

“Twoey, set our coordinates so somewhere far from here. As far as we can get with the fuel we have.”

“We can’t just go!” Mia yelled, “There might be more survivors!”

Ezara silently sobbed from his position on the floor, curled in the foetal position. For a moment that and the hum of the engine was all that could be heard between them.

“Mia, I think we’re the only ones left.”


	3. History Repeats Itself

Anderon was first and foremost a historian. He had never claimed to be anything more than that,  he certainly wasn’t the influential diplomat that his father often bragged he was. Any power he held was simply ceremonial, and instead of spending his days debating issues he worked on archiving historical manuscripts and artefacts that allowed people to piece together the history of the galaxy through recorded time.

From battles to dictators to all out wars, Anderon had read about it all. Because of this, he had been nothing but on edge since the rise of the First Order, and when reports of their atrocities spread through the galaxy his fears were only confirmed. History couldn’t help but repeat itself.

What he couldn’t have prepared for, despite his extensive reading and studies, was being called as a “guest” to the First Order’s flagship vessel, the Finalizer. A ship built in secret, going against disarmament treaties made by the New Republic, was never going to be good news. Nonetheless, Anderon took his higher-ups advice when they told him to be all smiles and nothing but eager to help the First Order.

_Historians are always the first to be taken down by fascists_ , were his bitter thoughts as he sat in the plain but luxurious quarters provided to him, idly running his fingers over his white tunic. He had no idea what he was expected to do here, and so far he had been met with nothing but blank faced stormtroopers. At least, he assumed they were blank-faced. It was hard to tell under the heavy looking helmets.

He was startled from his train of thought by the hiss of the sliding door. A sour-faced redhead flounced through, flanked again by two more stormtroopers who stood to attention outside the door. Anderon tried not to let his discomfort show at being left alone in the room with the man as the door hissed shut again.

“General Hux, I presume?” he forced out, plastering a smile on his face. Hux gave an equally forced smile in return.

“Anderon Kassaar,” Hux’s voice was low and matched his sickly complexion. He looked like he didn’t get out very much. “I’m so glad you agreed to meet with me. It’s always very important to meet with archivists from time to time, especially when we in the First Order are making such strides in finally achieving peace in the galaxy.”

All smiles and eager to help.

“Peace never comes as easily as we would like,” Anderon ground his teeth.

“I agree, sometimes violence is a necessity.”

All smiles and eager to help.

“Is peace through violence truly peace, though? Or rather tyranny?”

The tension was so thick you’d need a lightsaber to cut it. Anderon pressed his lips together, not knowing how the general would react. To his surprise and admittedly relief, Hux simply smirked, the expression not quite meeting his icy eyes.

“Why am I here?” Anderon’s tone was businesslike to mask his fear, and he hoped his voice wasn’t shaking too much.

This seemed to snap the young general back to the task at hand and he pursed his lips.

“We have documents we would like you to process and add to your data stores, information about the formation and achievements of the First Order.”

“We already have much information on-“

“That information is inaccurate.”

Another silence.

All smiles and eager to help.

Anderon squared his shoulders, despite being smaller than the other man he was built a lot bigger and he knew he was intimidating despite his innocent seeming clothing and job.

“General Hux, are you asking me to archive falsified information?”

“Not falsified. Rectified.” Hux spoke sharply now, indicating he would not be argued with.

“And what if your information doesn’t match up with other sources?”

A flush was making its way up Hux’s neck, indicating he was losing patience quickly.

“Our information,” it sounded like he was biting his words, “Is the only information that matters. Anything else is likely just rebel propaganda.”

Anderon inhaled sharply through his nose and tried to calm his breathing.

“Alright. Take me to the files you want to be archived.”

There was an ominous feeling of dread pooling in the bottom of Anderon’s stomach as they made their way down the stark bare corridors. Time seemed to slow as they rounded a corner sharply, coming face to face with a masked man. By the way Hux bristled Anderon could guess that this Darth Vader wannabe was Kylo Ren, the traitor son of General Organa.

Anderon’s heart was pounding as he brushed passed the Sith lord, and he could swear he was being scrutinised under the mask. Once they were properly passed Ren he and Hux both let out similar sighs of relief.

“He must be in a good mood today,” Hux muttered.

The data hub aboard the Finalizer was huge, a large chamber stretching up for what seemed like forever. For a second, Anderon was so in awe he forgot to be on edge.

“These are the documents that contain the, ahem, correct data for the archives,” Hux gestured with his gloved hand to a whirring monitor. Anderon cast him a long look before sitting in the sinister looking chair and peering at the screen. The hard material was uncomfortable to perch on and he couldn’t imagine having to sit here for longer than an hour, never mind do a full day’s work in it.

The files contained what he had been afraid of; a favourable description of the mass genocide that had been committed by the First Order. His eyes flicked over the words rapidly, well-practiced from scanning data on a daily basis, and as he did so his rage grew exponentially. Completely overwritten was the overhauling and stripping of kingdoms in the Unknown Regions, his home world included.

“Of course,” he scoffed, almost laughing at the lies he was being fed.

“Is there an issue, Kassaar?” Hux asked.

Anderon stood, nose to nose with the young general.

“The issue,” he spat, “Is that the First Order is bunch of lying fascists. I will play no hand in corrupting history with lies and propaganda.”

Hux bristled, “Then I believe that makes you an enemy of the First Order.”

“What are you going to do?” Anderon’s eyes narrowed, “Kill me? Like you killed your father? Brendol Hux, right? You had one of your lackeys kill him so you could work your way further up the ranks of this shit show.”

What little colour was in Hux’s face drained immediately. His eyes flicked to the stormtroopers in the room quickly before filling with rage.

“How dare you accuse me of such a thing,” his voice was low, dangerously level, “You have proven yourself to be a direct threat to the First Order and you will be dealt with as such.”

A muscle in Anderon’s jaw twitched, “Go right ahead.”


	4. The Silence In the Fog

A month after Knoll’s vision still nothing had happened, and Mia almost believed that he had somehow been wrong, that he had seen something and misunderstood it. Since that day they had been doing nothing but training constantly, meditating in the minimal down time. They were constantly exhausted, both mentally and physically, and Mia often found herself slipping into a heavy dreamless sleep each night.  Their harvest of the small number of crops that they grew eventually came and was decent enough for her to believe that maybe it would just be another monotonous year on their small planet. As well as this Knoll, tired of the bickering, had begun the steady task of repairing Twoey with the limited resources they had. Mia didn’t feel like she was any amount stronger since they had started properly training, but she wasn’t about to tell Knoll or Ezara that. If they had a proper teacher or resources she could maybe actually feel like she was pushing herself, but until that happened -if that happened, she was stuck playing stupid mind games with Ezara and meditating to no end. Not for the first time, she wondered how different her life would have been had she just accepted Ben’s offer. Would she be stronger? Or just another pawn in the war between the First Order and their opposition.

Then they got wind of a First Order inspection vessel coming from the Finalizer itself. It was due to land only a few miles from where they lived to test for mineral deposits in the soil. A look was shared between them when the transmission came through, and they knew that this was it. This was the beginning of what they had been waiting for. Mia’s anxiety began to stir like a loose tooth, but Knoll’s strong and steady hand on her shoulder kept her grounded.

“Remember, whatever happens, we have to get on that ship,” Ezara said, pulling on his cloak determinedly. Mia remembered the day he had come home with it, trading half of his months food rations for the fine material and fur, much to Knoll and Mia’s annoyance. Now, silly things like that hardly seemed important. “This might be our only chance to get to Solo.”

“If Knoll saw it in a vision then obviously it’s going to happen,” Mia snarked at him, “If it doesn’t happen today then it means it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Guys, guys, come on,” Knoll said, sensing another argument brewing, “Whatever happens, trust the force.”

Both younger jedi rolled their eyes at his words but ceased their argument anyway. The sensor in front of them beeped, flashing red to indicate an approaching vessel.

“It’s time.” Ezara was sombre until Mia hit his shoulder.

“Don’t be so dramatic.”

The surface of Lah’mu was covered in a heavy fog as usual, making visibility low. The trio remained silent as they crept from their area of land to where the craft was supposed to be. Mia took a step only to be yanked back forcefully by her cloak.

“Wha-“ she squeaked out before Knoll clamped his hand over her mouth, bundling her against him behind a large rock formation next to Ezara.  A moment later there was the unmistakable buzz of radio static and heavy footfalls, two standard looking stormtroopers marching into view. Knoll slowly removed his hand from Mia’s mouth, too busy watching the stormtroopers to notice her glare. The stormtroopers seemed to remain unaware of them and continued their conversation, voices muffled by their heavy helmets.

“So he tells me that collecting rock samples is ‘vital’ to the First Order,” one of them said sarcastically. Ezara tugged both Knoll and Mia to standing, pushing them both around the other side of the formation. As he dropped his tight grip he placed a finger against his lips, pale from the cold, and then pointed silently to the vessel stationed. Mia gave him a look that clearly said “obviously” and Ezara tutted quietly. Knoll lightly smacked them both over the backs of their heads, motioning to the stormtroopers so close to their position.

The other stormtrooper shrugged in response to his friend, “I guess someone has to do it.”

The three force users were exposed for a second, moving as quietly as they could through the thick fog and darting up the open ramp of the ship.

“Just think they’d pick someone a bit lower ranking than me, you know?”

The stormtrooper’s voices were quieter now that they were inside. The three of them frantically looked for somewhere to hide in the small vessel.

“Down, down there,” Knoll whispered, pointing to a small maintenance hatch in the floor, just big enough for them all to stand in.

“You could always take it up with your handler. If it’s bothering you that much.” The trooper’s voices were getting closer now, indicating they were heading back.

Knoll quickly slid into the small crevice last, quietly as possible pulling the hatch down after him. Mia’s chest pressed into his back, her thin frame digging into him painfully.

“When I said we were living on top of each other I didn’t mean it as a suggestion,” Ezara hissed angrily.

“Shh,” Knoll snapped back. The three held their breaths as the metallic sound of the stormtroopers boarding the vessel echoed above them, the hydraulic hiss of the ramp as it slid closed along with any chance they had of backing out of their surely suicide mission. He felt Mia wrap her arms around him and lean her head on his shoulder, briefly hoping the soft material of his jacket brought her some comfort. Knoll could feel a pounding, but he wasn’t sure if it was Mia’s heart of his own beating heavily.

Ezara’s brown eyes widened and against all instinct he looked up through the gaps in the metal, catching sight of the underside of a stormtrooper’s boot. All it would take would be for one of them to glance downwards and they would surely be caught. Then who knows what would happen.

“Don’t look down,” he breathed, “There’s nothing out of the ordinary here.”

Mia tensed as he spoke, expecting the worst. A moment of silence that seemed to stretch out for eternity.

“Nothing out of the ordinary.”

Her mouth dropped open in a mixture of relief and shock as the two soldiers passed on by towards the cockpit, starting up the engine. The low hum covered Mia’s whisper.

“I can’t believe you actually managed that, it’s never worked on me or Knoll.”

“That’s what you think,” Ezara said in her ear then grunted lightly as she elbowed him in the stomach, “I’m joking.”

“Joke later,” snapped Knoll quietly, still on edge. They weren’t on the ship yet.

The stromtroopers made annoying small talk for most of the journey, and the three soon got bored.

“How do we know this is even going to where Solo is?” said Mia.

“It is,” Knoll’s tone was confident, giving them no room to argue, “This feels right. I can’t explain it.”

Mia let out a tiny yelp a second later, not loud enough for anyone besides Knoll and Ezara to hear.

“What?” Knoll turned his head as best he could, wiggling against Mia in the confined space.

“Don’t do that!” Ezara said quickly, voice strained.

“Huh?” Knoll frowned, then his eyes went wide, “Oh, come on. Now?”

“That better be your blaster Ezara , I swear to stars,” Mia tried to move closer into Knoll but there wasn’t much breathing room.

“It’s not my fault,” his cheeks were tinged with pink, “You’re making it worse.”

Mia’s head thunked back down onto Knoll’s shoulder, “I hope I’m shot on sight when we get there.”

 

The Finalizer was a huge vessel. Even though she couldn’t see it, Mia could feel it’s looming presence as the small ship they were on docked into the main cargo bay. In her veins she could feel the thrum of so much energy, the area was so busy and crowded. There was no way they weren’t going to get caught doing this. Knoll squeezed her hand reassuringly, as if he could read her thoughts. Maybe he could. Knoll had never been vocal about the full extent of what he could do with the force, Mia was convinced he was more capable than he liked to let on. When she had brought it up to Ezara he had simply shrugged at her, remarking that if it was the case it was a smart play. Mia had no idea what he meant by that.

They heard the two stormtroopers march off the craft, still talking between themselves. A quiet fell over them. Knoll gingerly pushed the grate up, hoisting himself out to sit on the edge and holding his hand out for Mia to grab. Ezara pushed her legs up and over the rim, before they both leaned over and pulled him out together.

“What now?” she questioned, looking expectantly between him and Knoll, who was dusting himself off.

“Now we kill Solo,” Ezara said determinedly, grabbing his blaster.

“Ey okay, hold on a second now,” Knoll held up a hand, stopping him, “We don’t even know where he is.”

“We’ll use the force to find him,” Mia supplied, Ezara shot a smug look in her direction.

“We’ll be caught almost immediately if we do that, he’ll sense us feeling for him,” Knoll said reasonably, “We should find out what we can about this craft and then plan out actions from there. There’s no need to rush ahead with any anger fuelled revenge plots.”

Ezara’s face fell, “I’m not about to wait around. Every second that that bastard is breathing is a second I’m not at peace.”

“Whatever we do, we better do it fast,” Mia indicated to the bustling hanger, they were completely exposed if someone happened to walk past and glance in. Knoll and Ezara shared a long look.

“Fine,” Ezara swept his cloak to the side, “Lets go.”

Knoll stopped him again with a hand on his chest, “Wait.”

Ezara rolled his eyes, “Wait, go, wait, make up your mind.”

Knoll’s brow was furrowed and he seemed to be concentrating. Ezara made a face at Mia and she shrugged, equally confused.

“Wait for it,” Knoll muttered, mostly to himself. His eyes shot open. “Okay now. Fast.”

The three of them ran as silently as possible, bursting out the ship. It seemed they picked the perfect time, none of the slate grey uniformed officers were facing their direction and any lingering stormtroopers seemed to be heading away from them. They made it to a sliding door, rushing through and breathing a sigh of relief as it shut behind them.

“I can’t believe we made that!” Mia grinned, “Go us!”

“Yeah, go us,” Knoll rolled his eyes, tone dripping with sarcasm, “You’re both welcome.”

“We should be able to see the layout of the ship from here,” Ezara strode over to a panel on the wall, tapping impatiently on the screen of it, “Solo will be somewhere near the command centre. I think.”

He noticed Mia has a faraway look in her eye, as if she was looking at something none of them could see.

“He’s on the third level,” she said quietly, “I can feel him.”

Knoll glanced at Ezara, who was frozen with his long fingers still pressed against the screen.

“I still think we should find out what we can. We might never get another chance to be on a craft like this.”

“Fine,” Ezara said, “You go find what you can, me and Mia will find Solo and kill him.”

Knoll winced slightly at his harsh tone, casting his eyes to Mia. Her grey eyes met his hazel ones, wide but determined.

“Knoll, you’re right that we might not get another chance like this. That’s why we need to use it to get Solo,” she no longer seemed afraid, just steadily set on her goal.

“Okay, we meet back here though. None of us leave without each other, agreed?”

“Of course not!” Mia looked affronted, “Why would you even suggest something like that!”

With a final long look, Mia and Ezara headed off down the dark metallic hallway.

Knoll tried to calm his pounding heart, clenching and unclenching his fists until he no longer felt like all his blood was rushing to his head.

“Okay,” he muttered to himself, “Let’s find this data centre.”

Luckily the corridors were mainly deserted and it was easy to listen out for approaching footsteps. Each time he heard a set coming his way, he would dart into a small opening or doorway till they passed. Eventually however, his luck ran out when he rounded a corner and came face to ace with a single stormtrooper.

“Halt! Who are you?” The soldier barked at him.

Knoll held up his hands, silently praying what he was about to do would work, “I’m nothing out the ordinary. Carry on.”

The stormtrooper looked him up and down a few times, clearly confused, taking in his scruffy light-coloured clothes that really didn’t fit the clean base.

“Ah fuck it, sorry about this,” Knoll grimaced, before smacking the trooper’s helmet against the wall as hard as he could. The clang echoed down the hallway and the stormtrooper slid down the wall, now limp. Knoll nervously glanced around, hoping no one around chose to investigate. When no one seemed to be after him, he dragged the heavy body into a secluded corner and stripped it of it’s uniform. The man inside looked a lot less threatening unconscious in his standard issue undergarments and Knoll gave him a soft kick as he tried to get used to the bulky armour.

He was much taller than the man he had taken it from, and he just hoped no one would look close enough to see how ill-fitting it was, the ragged hem of his light grey trousers sticking a small amount out the bottom. He shrugged. What you gonna do?

 

Meanwhile Mia and Ezara were in a similar situation but neither of them had the wits to hide the bodies they left, or steal any uniforms for that matter. Instead, they chose to leave a pile of five or so stormtroopers out in the open for anyone to find, blaster burns across their stark white chests and all.

“I get that they have an aesthetic going,” Mia said, “But would it kill them to decorate a little? All these hallways are so depressing.”

Ezara hummed in agreement, both their hands sweating from the heat of the blasters in them.

“Yeah it’s like, put up a poster or some art maybe.”

“Some plants.”

“Yeah.”

Neither seemed to really grasp the gravitas of their situation at all until loud alarms started blaring, causing them both to jump.

“Do you think that’s for us?” Ezara frowned, “Or something else.”

“Maybe it’s a fire alarm.”

Their mindless chattering was halted immediately by the sound of heavy footfalls approaching from both ends of the hallway they were in.

“Oh, that’s not good,” Mia said, as the stormtroopers assembled en masse at either end, cutting them off.

“I think the alarm is for us.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lmk what you guys think of this so far lmfao


End file.
